In a typical motorcycle, and unlike a bicycle, the clutch is found on the left handlebar. The twist-grip throttle control and the front-wheel brake lever are two different controls on the right handlebar. The right foot pedal is where the brake for the rear wheel is normally found.
Motorcyclists who engage in racing find it difficult at very high speeds (even at highway speeds) to press down upon the right foot pedal to brake. This is due in part to the movement being somewhat awkward for the user. At high speeds, even a small bump or a turn in the road can affect the foot from accurately pressing down upon the right foot pedal to brake; either the obstruction in the road or the angle of the foot impedes the motorcyclist from being confident in the ability to brake using the right foot pedal, thereby slowing down the rear wheel. It is simply not as precise as the movement of the hand upon one of the levers of the handlebars. Preferably, the process of braking would be done with both the front and back wheels of the motorcycle; using the front brake only is a matter of the rider consciously not using the right foot pedal due to its inherent drawbacks.
It has been shown that motorcycle racers and other motorcyclists who drive at high speeds will resort to solely using the front-wheel brake found on the right handlebar. Obviously, using the front-wheel brake on the right handlebar, while it is an easier and more precise movement for the motorcyclist, can be dangerous, as the front wheel could skid, causing loss of control, or in an extreme scenario the motorcycle could risk flipping over in a forward direction; the front wheel is braking while the back wheel is still going full-speed.
Hence, there is a need for the placement of a hand lever for the rear-wheel brake on one of the handlebars. This seems like an obvious solution, but the right handlebar already comprises the twist-grip throttle control and front-wheel brake lever, so placing another brake lever there is not a viable solution. The left handlebar, on the other hand, comprises the clutch. Mistaking the rear-wheel brake lever for the clutch is also a dangerous possibility, especially in heavy, stop-and-go traffic. Therefore, the placement of the lever that activates the rear-wheel brake should be in a place that would not be able to be mistaken for the clutch, which would obviate the need for the user to use his/her foot when braking the rear wheel.
Relevant art includes European Patent Publication 1160152A1, published for Brembo on Dec. 5, 2001, which discloses a mechanism to adjust the position of the operating lever on a motorcycle handlebar. Unlike the present invention, it does not displace the location of the rear-wheel brake lever. Japanese Patent Publication 58033560A published for Tsutomu on Feb. 26, 1983 describes brake gear for a motorcycle. This pertains more generally to the mechanism braking system and not the placement of the brake levers themselves. U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,903 issued to Ramond on Feb. 22, 1977, is a mechanism for a steering wheel. This comprises an entirely different issue, which relates more to the steering of the motorcycle than the operation of the brakes.
Additionally, there is a plethora of relevant art such as hydraulic cylinders as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,340 (issued to Yoshida, Feb. 26, 1985); U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,442 (Bass, Jan. 13, 1987); U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,381 (Matsuno et al., Sep. 24, 1991); U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,518 (Burgoyne et al., Jun. 10, 1997); and finally U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,447 (Brandl et al., Jun. 26, 2001). These patents pertain more particularly to hydraulic operating systems and mechanisms relating to the master cylinders of the brakes and, unlike the present invention, do not provide a solution to placing the rear-wheel brake on the handlebars.
Other relevant art includes cruise control systems for motorcycles as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,490 (issued to Laning on Nov. 20, 2001) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,820,710 (issued to Fechner on Nov. 23, 2004). These patents relate more specifically to the cruise control systems and not the braking mechanism of the motorcycles.
Relevant art also includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,964, issued to Green on Nov. 7, 2000, which describes a master cylinder relocation kit pertaining to the front brake. This invention aims to separate the master cylinder assembly from the front brake lever and relocate it out of sight for aesthetic reasons and thus comprises an entirely different issue. U.S. Pat. 6,209,687 B1, issued to Hundley on Apr. 3, 2001, describes a dual-brake handle. The user can use the brake handle as a single (rear-wheel only) or a double brake, which can be considered inconvenient since both of the brakes are on the same lever. Unlike the present invention, the dual brakes are on the same handlebar, which can be confusing for the motorcyclist. U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,285 B1 issued to Wakabayashi et al. on Jun. 25, 2002, is a front and rear-wheel braking system for motorcycles. The invention allows front and rear-wheel interlocking brake operation, but unlike the present invention does not replace the location of the rear-wheel brake. U.S. Pat. 6,715,848, issued to Chen et al. on Apr. 6, 2004 is an anti-lock braking system for motorcycles. It is different from the present invention in that it aims to improve the braking mechanism but does not aim to change the placement of the rear-wheel brake to a more convenient location on the motorcycle.